Chronicle of the 20th Century
book franchise by Bodo Harenberg
The Chronicle of the 20th Century is a book franchise created by the German journalist and publisher Bodo Harenberg in the 1980s and licensed around the world. It consists of a month-by-month chronicle of the events of the twentieth century, with each entry written as though it were a contemporary news report. Books under this title were published in multiple countries, but with independently prepared content from the perspective of each country's news sources.
The book was noted for its size, with the British edition coming with its own carry-case and handle, and observed to be "the first coffee table book seriously to threaten the well-being of coffee-tables". The U.S. edition was named "1987 Book of the Year" by American and Canadian booksellers and the British edition was reprinted three times within the first two years, but the format was criticised as a gimmick that was incompatible with the claim of its editor to give the reader "the high ground of hindsight".
Origins and rights
The "Chronicle-System" was the idea of the German journalist and publisher Bodo Harenberg in the 1980s. The copyright was owned by Harenberg Kommunikation of Dortmund who sold the international rights to different publishers around the world. The global English language rights were owned by Jacques Legrand S.A. International Publishing of Paris, France.
Content
The book is a month-by-month chronicle of the events of the twentieth century, with each month allocated a single page and a few eventful months given two pages. Each month includes a calendar and a list of events by day that do not receive a full report.
The public source identifies “Chronicle of the 20th Century” as book franchise by Bodo Harenberg. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Chronicle, 20th and Century.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Chronicle of the 20th Century”, the useful work is to connect “book franchise by Bodo Harenberg” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q109975538. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1987.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Chronicle of the 20th Century”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Chronicle of the 20th Century primary sources, Chronicle of the 20th Century archive and Chronicle research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Chronicle of the 20th Century”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Chronicle of the 20th Century” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.